diff --git a/util/fetch-gnu.sh b/util/fetch-gnu.sh
index 41b9a49b4be..e6adeb76035 100755
--- a/util/fetch-gnu.sh
+++ b/util/fetch-gnu.sh
@@ -1,17 +1,13 @@
 #!/bin/bash -e
-ver="9.11"
+ver="9.12"
 repo=https://github.com/coreutils/coreutils
 curl -L "${repo}/releases/download/v${ver}/coreutils-${ver}.tar.xz" | tar --strip-components=1 -xJf -
 
 # TODO stop backporting tests from master at GNU coreutils > $ver
 backport=(
-  cat/splice.sh # split tests
-  dd/fail-ftruncate-fstat.sh # remove LD_PRELOAD
-  dd/stderr.sh # replace GNU/test binary by uutils/test
-  misc/close-stdout.sh # fix hardcoded pathes to GNU executables
-  misc/uname-labeled.sh # uname -A/--all-labeled, added after $ver
-  nproc/nproc-quota.sh # remove LD_PRELOAD
-  misc/empty-backup-suffix.sh
+  # https://github.com/coreutils/coreutils/issues/355
+  env/env.sh
+  env/printenv.sh
 )
 for f in "${backport[@]}"
   do curl -L ${repo}/raw/refs/heads/master/tests/$f > tests/$f
diff --git a/util/gnu-patches/error_msg_uniq.diff b/util/gnu-patches/error_msg_uniq.diff
index 1c9e32fcb22..cfac53c5c90 100644
--- a/util/gnu-patches/error_msg_uniq.diff
+++ b/util/gnu-patches/error_msg_uniq.diff
@@ -53,6 +53,6 @@ Index: gnu/tests/uniq/uniq.pl
 +  {ERR=>"error: invalid value 'badoption' for '--group[=<group-method>]'\n\n" .
 +        "  [possible values: separate, prepend, append, both]\n\n" .
 +        "For more information, try '--help'.\n"}],
- );
-
- # Locale related tests
+  # Test for read buffer overrun.
+  do { my $longline = "\360\237\230\200" . "A" x 255 . "\n";
+       ['146', '-w256', {IN  => $longline x 2}, {OUT => $longline}] },
diff --git a/util/gnu-patches/tests_comm.pl.patch b/util/gnu-patches/tests_comm.pl.patch
index 4b683cc893a..989ac441a50 100644
--- a/util/gnu-patches/tests_comm.pl.patch
+++ b/util/gnu-patches/tests_comm.pl.patch
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
-Index: gnu/tests/misc/comm.pl
+Index: gnu/tests/comm/comm.pl
 ===================================================================
---- gnu.orig/tests/misc/comm.pl
-+++ gnu/tests/misc/comm.pl
+--- gnu.orig/tests/comm/comm.pl
++++ gnu/tests/comm/comm.pl
 @@ -73,18 +73,24 @@ my @Tests =
 
     # invalid missing command line argument (1)
diff --git a/util/gnu-patches/tests_env_env-S.pl.patch b/util/gnu-patches/tests_env_env-S.pl.patch
index 955ed2c1c3f..2ff931bc38a 100644
--- a/util/gnu-patches/tests_env_env-S.pl.patch
+++ b/util/gnu-patches/tests_env_env-S.pl.patch
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ Index: gnu/tests/env/env-S.pl
 +            "For more information, try '--help'.\n" .
 +            "$prog: use -[v]S to pass options in shebang lines\n"}],
       ['err_sp3', q['-v	-S cat -n'], {EXIT=>125}, # embedded tab after -v
--      {ERR=>"env: invalid option -- '\t'\n" .
+-      {ERR=>"env: invalid option -- '\\t'\n" .
 -            "env: use -[v]S to pass options in shebang lines\n" .
 -           "Try 'env --help' for more information.\n"}],
 +      {ERR=>"error: unexpected argument '-\t' found\n\n" .
diff --git a/util/gnu-patches/tests_ls_no_cap.patch b/util/gnu-patches/tests_ls_no_cap.patch
index 62b836f7962..a8db18930c7 100644
--- a/util/gnu-patches/tests_ls_no_cap.patch
+++ b/util/gnu-patches/tests_ls_no_cap.patch
@@ -6,15 +6,15 @@ index 99f0563bc..f7b9e7885 100755
    skip_ "setcap doesn't work"
 
  LS_COLORS=ca=1; export LS_COLORS
--strace -e capget ls --color=always > /dev/null 2> out || fail=1
+-strace -e trace=capget ls --color=always > /dev/null 2> out || fail=1
 -$EGREP 'capget\(' out || skip_ "your ls doesn't call capget"
-+strace -e listxattr ls --color=always > /dev/null 2> out || fail=1
++strace -e trace=listxattr ls --color=always > /dev/null 2> out || fail=1
 +$EGREP 'listxattr\(' out || skip_ "your ls doesn't call listxattr"
 
  LS_COLORS=ca=:; export LS_COLORS
--strace -e capget ls --color=always > /dev/null 2> out || fail=1
+-strace -e trace=capget ls --color=always > /dev/null 2> out || fail=1
 -$EGREP 'capget\(' out && fail=1
-+strace -e listxattr ls --color=always > /dev/null 2> out || fail=1
++strace -e trace=listxattr ls --color=always > /dev/null 2> out || fail=1
 +$EGREP 'listxattr\(' out && fail=1
 
  Exit $fail
diff --git a/util/gnu-patches/tests_pwd-long.patch b/util/gnu-patches/tests_pwd-long.patch
index a26847e26f7..d5291137c27 100644
--- a/util/gnu-patches/tests_pwd-long.patch
+++ b/util/gnu-patches/tests_pwd-long.patch
@@ -4,19 +4,19 @@ Index: gnu/tests/pwd/pwd-long.sh
 +++ gnu/tests/pwd/pwd-long.sh
 @@ -19,7 +19,6 @@
 
- . "${srcdir=.}/tests/init.sh";
+ . "${srcdir=.}/tests/init.sh"; path_prepend_ ./src
  print_ver_ pwd
 -uses_strace_
 
  require_readable_root_
  require_perl_
-@@ -27,11 +26,10 @@
+@@ -27,11 +26,10 @@ require_perl_
  ARGV_0=$0
  export ARGV_0
 
 -# Disable the getcwd syscall if possible, so more of our code is exercised.
 -no_sys_getcwd() {
--  strace -f -o /dev/null -e 'getcwd' -e fault=all:error=ENOSYS "$@"
+-  strace -f -o /dev/null -e trace=getcwd -e fault=all:error=ENOSYS "$@"
 -}
 -no_sys_getcwd true || no_sys_getcwd() { "$@"; }
 +# uutils: our pwd has no userspace getcwd reimplementation like GNU's; it
diff --git a/util/run-gnu-test.sh b/util/run-gnu-test.sh
index 0480442e116..013119527b0 100755
--- a/util/run-gnu-test.sh
+++ b/util/run-gnu-test.sh
@@ -28,7 +28,10 @@ echo "path_UUTILS='${path_UUTILS}'"
 echo "path_GNU='${path_GNU}'"
 
 # Use GNU nproc for *BSD
-NPROC=$(command -v ${path_GNU}/src/nproc||command -v nproc)
+NPROC_BIN=$(command -v "${path_GNU}"/src/nproc||command -v nproc)
+# `-j` wants a job count: handing it the path to nproc made make read it as a
+# (bogus) goal and run with unlimited parallelism, which starves the CI runner.
+NPROC=$("${NPROC_BIN}" 2>/dev/null) || NPROC=1
 MAKEFLAGS="${MAKEFLAGS} -j ${NPROC}"
 export MAKEFLAGS
 ###